The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) says tourism will be key to Egypt’s economic recovery.

“International tourists are slowly beginning to return to Egypt. The sector is a lifeline for our economy and in 2010 accounted for 11.5 per cent of our GDP and $13bn in revenues,” says Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour.

About 14 million international tourists visited Egypt in 2010. However, due to the political uprising earlier in the year, international tourist volumes declined 45 per cent in the first quarter of 2011.

“Tourism is clearly seen as a national priority involving all areas of public policy and thus can be a major contributor to consolidate the transition,” says UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai.